Thanks to "great" gas prices, this is going to be the summer of the road trip, GasBuddy.com senior consumer analyst Vera Gibbons said Friday.
Prices at the pump are about 40 cents lower than this time last year, and are well below the 10-year average of $3.15, she told CNBC's "Closing Bell."
Even with the recent rise in gasoline prices, "we are headed for lowest summer prices since 2005. So this has a lot of people saying 'let's hit the road,'" said Gibbons.
According to GasBuddy's recent travel survey, more than 75 percent of people say they'll be travelling this summer, with an overwhelming majority — 79 percent — opting to hop in the car.
More than half said they will travel at least 400 miles round trip.
However, cheap gas wasn't the only factor impacting the decision to take a road trip. Long lines at airports, concerns about the Zika virus and fears of terrorism aboard also played a role, according to Gibbons.
That translates to good news for businesses around the country.
"The tourist spots are going to do really well. The national parks are going to do extremely well," Gibbons said. "They're celebrating their 100th anniversary this year so they've got all sorts of parties and commemorations going on."
She also expects spillover into state parks since many national parks are selling out.
According to AAA, more than 34 million Americans will get behind the wheel to travel this Memorial Day weekend alone.
— CNBC's Silvana Henao contributed to this report.